Choking Risks: Nappy Sacks
Nappy sacks are disposable, often perfumed, plastic bags into which soiled nappies are placed after removal from babies and prior to disposal. They tend to be made of very thin coloured plastic.
Nappy sacks have been identified as causing suffocation and choking of babies under one-year-old. Authorities in the UK have become aware of at least 18 deaths associated with individual nappy sacks.
The typical scenario associated with the deaths is that the nappy sacks are stored within the baby’s reach, close to the baby’s cot, including under the mattress. This method of storage is often for convenience. In some of the cases, the nappy sacks had been left near to or in the baby’s cot for ease of changing the baby’s nappy in the night. These loose nappy sacks are within easy reach of babies.
Informal feedback from parents, carers and professionals demonstrated that the risk to young babies is compounded by the fact that widespread usage of nappy sacks is a relatively recent phenomenon. Parents and carers are generally aware of the dangers posed by plastic bags, but do not make the same link to nappy sacks and so are less likely to take the same safety precautions.
Nappy sacks are usually sold in packets containing 100-200 sacks, costing approximately 0.01p per sack. In the packets the sacks are usually separate rather than on a roll, the typical method of supply of plastic bags used for food storage and garbage bin liners.
The risk of this potential hazard is increased by the lack of a mandatory suffocation warning advice on the packaging.
Babies are at particular risk of suffocation and choking from plastic sheets and bags for a number of reasons:
- They cannot understand the risks associated with their actions
- They seek to explore the world around them by, among other actions, putting articles in their mouth to experience taste and texture
- They do not have the manual dexterity to remove a thin plastic covering that is “adhering” to their face or is in their mouth
- Parents are not aware of the risks associated with nappy sacks.